Gun barrel cleaning device



Sept. l0, 1957 A. c. HOPKINS GUN BARREL CLEANING DEVICE Filed Dec. 17, 1954` Patented Sept. 10, 1957 GUN BARREL CLEANING DEVICE Arthur C. Hopkins, Carthage, N. Y. Application December 17, 1954, Serial No. 47 6,091

3 Claims. (Cl. 15104.16)

The present invention relates to devices for cleaning the bores of guns, and particularly of guns which have helically rifled barrels.

It is important to properly clean the barrel of a gun after use. In cleaning a gun barrel, brushes, cloths, and swabs have been used, but none of these does a completely satisfactory cleaning job on a rifled gun barrel, because they do not properly wipe the sides and tops of the lands, with the result that burned powder and other foreign matter is not properly cleaned from the riiling.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved cleaning device, suitable for cleaning either small or large bore gun barrels, and with which the gun tube or barrel can be quickly, thoroughly, and properly cleaned without danger of scratching or mutilating the rilling lands.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gun cleaning device in which the actual cleaning member is made of a material that is resilient in nature and that will be held by its own resiliency with a firm enough pressure against the sides and tops of the lands of the barrel to insure thorough and proper cleaning thereof, and removal completely therefrom of any traces of powder, or other foreign matter.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which has a removable wiping member, which may readily and easily be removed and replaced, when it becomes dirty or worn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described which is simple in structure, efficient in operation, and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent hereinafter from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a part axial section, part side elevation of a gun cleaning device made according to one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a View looking at one end of this device, but on a slightly reduced scale;

Fig. 3 is a part axial section, part side elevation of a removable cleaning member made according to a somewhat diiferent embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is an end view of this cleaning member;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse section on an enlarged scale, illustrating the `action of the cleaning member of the present invention in cleaning a rilled gun barrel;

Fig. 6 is a side view showing a segment of a cleaning member made according to a still further embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a view looking at the tip of this cleaning segment;

Fig. 8 is an axial section of a cleaning head made according to still another embodiment of this invention for small bore guns; and

Fig. 9 is an end View of this cleaning head.

Referring rst to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. l and 2, the gun cleaning device here shown comprises a ram rod 20 having a detachable head 21 threaded thereon. The head has a stern 24 which threads into a hole in one end of the ramrod. The head 21 is formed with a cylindrical, peripheral seating surface 22 and with a transverse shoulder 23 intersecting said surface.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. l, there are mounted on the seating surface 2-2 three separate ring-shaped cleaning members 25. Each cleaning member comprises a hard paper or plastic core 26 in the form of a ring, and soft, yielding, resilient, pliable, compressible, ilexible, absorbing material 27 which extends circumferentially about and is bonded to the core. This cleaning material may be a material such as Wool felt, a felted fibrous material cut on the bias, aebraided material, or the like. The material used will be a material free of lint. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. l and 2 the cleaning material on each of the cores 26 is in the form of a single piece of material shirred circumferentially. After it is shirred, the material is also preferably notched with circumferentially V-shaped notches, as indicated at 28 in Fig. l, and its edges are preferably beveled-off, as indicated at 29, so that adjoining rings will together form further V notches 30. The rings are held on the head 2l by a clamping disc or plate 32 which has a stem portion 33 that threads into a counterbore in head 2l. The clamping disc 32 may be formed with four radial spokes shown at 35 in Fig. 2 for easy manipulation.

The V-grooves or notches 23 and the bevels 29 reduce the peripheral area of the cleaning material, providing a soft pliable yielding surface which will depress and conform to all the surfaces within the gun tube.

The several rings 25 together are some-what less inlength than the length of the cylindrical surface 22, and are of somewhat greater `diameter than this surface so that they are free to lloat axially between shoulder 23 and clamping disc 32.

Instead of making the cleaning device with a plurality of separate rings, however, a single tubular cleaning member may be provided, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. This device is similar in construction to the cleaning rings shown in Fig. 1. It has a hard paper or plastic core 26 and soft, yielding, resilient, pliable, compressible, flexible, absorbing material 27', such as wool felt, free of lint, bonded to the core with a resilient bond. The material 27' is preferably shirred circumferentially, and again is preferably notched with V notches, as indicated at 28. The ends of the material may also be beveled olf as denoted at 29. The tubular cleaning member of Figs. 3 and 4 may be mounted upon the same head 21 as the several ring cleaning members 27 of Fig. l, and in the same way.

Instead'of making the cleaning material in one piece and shirring it circumferentially, it may be made of a plurality of identical individual segments, such as shown at 37 in Figs. 6 and 7. These segments are bonded to the hard paper or plastic core by resilient bonding material as with the previous embodiments of the invention. They are butted against one another and arranged in abutting relation circumferentially about the core. The segments 37 are again made of resilient, pliable, compressible, yielding, soft, llexible, absorbing material, such as wool felt free of lint, felted brous material cut on the bias, or braided material. Each of the segments is provided with a plurality of V notches, such as shown in 38, and beveled off at `its edges as shown at 39. Preferably the several notches of the several segments are aligned circumferentially of the core.

For small bore guns the `cleaning head'may comprise simply fa plurality of rows .of ,circumferentially shirred, resilient, soft, compressible, pliable, yielding, flexible, .absorbingmaterial, such as previously described, bonded to a single hard paper or plastic core 46, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. In the embodiment ofthe invention shown in Figs. 8 and,9,"there are .four rings of shirred ycleaning vmaterial bonded to a single core'46. Each ring is beveled olf at its ends as denoted at 49, forming thereby with the adjacent ring of cleaning material a 'V notch 48. In this case, the core 46 may be directly threaded on the reduced diameterportion 51 ofthe ram rod 50. Y

" In `use the cleaning device is simply shoved back and forthaxially in the bore of Vthevgun, which is to be cleaned. A rifled gun barrel is shown inV Fig. at 68. This gun barrel has lands 61 formed in :a helix. The diameter of the soft,l pliable cleaning material in its uncompressedv condition is made slightly larger than'the diameter of the bore of the gun tube 60 between the lands 61. As the cleaning device is moved `back` and'forth axially in the gun, it is compressed slightly radially around its whole periphery 'because of this dilference in diameters. Moreover, as the cleaning device is moved Aback and forth, the portions of the shirrs or segments 63, that engage opposite side of the lands, are compressed and bent aside by the sides 62 ofthe lands, while the portions ofthe shirrs or segments V64 of the material `that engage with the tops of the lands, `are simply compressed radially. Thematerial, therefore, has intimate Contact under pres-A sure with the Vsides and tops of the lands of the barrel, and with the bottoms of the grooves between the lands. Furthermore, since the riding is helical, different segments or gathers of the material are in engagement with the sides and tops of the lands of the gun barrel at different points along the length of the lands. At .one point along its length, therefore, a segment or gather of material'may be bent in one direction by contact with one side of a rifling land; at another Vpoint along its length -this same segment or shirr may beV compressed axially by the top of this same land; and at still another VVpoint along its length this same segment or shirr lmay be bent in the other direction by the opposite side of this -same land. This enhances and improves the intimacy of contact between-the cleaning material and the lands both on the sides and tops of the lands along the full length of the riding as the cleaning device is reciprocated back and forth manually in the barrel. The V-grooves for notches in the material and thebeveled ends of `the 4material in.

crease the pliability of the material so that the soft, pliable material will, :as previously stated, depress and conform to all the surfaces within the gun barrel, wiping them clean.

In .the embodiment of the yinvention shown in Fig. l, the cleaning members 25 are free to move axially and to-rotate as the cleaning deviceis reciprocated .back and forth in the gun barrel. This also :improves Vthe wiping,'cleaning action. lThese same additional movementscan be achieved with the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and'4 -by making the .length .of the core 26 less than the lengthof cylindrical surface 22 'and by making the diameter of this core greater than that of this surface.

vWhen-a device such as `described is employed in cleaning the gunbarrel, therefore, -there will be thorough, proper cleaning. The device Ais simple in structure, and

4 inexpensive to make. As it becomes dirty or worn, the cleaning member maybe removed from 4the head 21 by rst removing the clamping disc 32, in the case of the cleaning device shown in Figs. l to 4 inclusive, or in the case of the small bore cleaner of Figs. 8 and 9,.the core Y can be just threaded off the ramrod. The dirty, worn cleaner can be thrown away, and replaced by a new cleaner.

Instead .of using a ram rod 50, such as shown in Fig. 8, a cord may be used to pull the cleaning material through the gun barrel, particularly in the case of a small bore gun. The core can then be glued or otherwise suitably fastened to the cord. Y

While the invention has been described in connection with several different embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modification, and this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come Within knownor customary. practice in the art to which Vthe invention pertains, andjas may be yapplied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth, and'as fall Within theA scope of the invention. or the limits of the appended claims. Having vthus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. Atcleaner for gun barrels comprising a manipulable holder, a hard, ringshaped core mounted'on said holder, and soft, yielding material vshirredV circumferentially about and bonded to said core, the shirrs in said material 'providing a plurality of individual gathers, each of which is adapted to be b ent and depressed in a plurality of directions when the cleaner is reciprocated in a gun barrel. i ,2. A cleaner for'gun barrels comprisinga rigid holder, a hard, ring-'shaped core mounted on and surrounding a portion of said holder, and soft, yielding material shirred circumferentially about and bonded to said corej-the shirrs in said material providing sa plurality of individual gathers, each ofV which is adapted to Vbe benty and depressed in a plurality of directions when the cleaner is reciprocated Vin a gun barrel, the internal diameter of said core Vbeing greater than the diameter of said portionof said holder and the length of said core being less than the'length of said portion, whereby said core mayrotate ,andV move axially on said holder as the cleaner is Yreciproczated-in a rifled gun barrel, tand means for Ilimiting axial movement of said core on said portion. Y L

3. A cleaner for gun barrels comprising a manipulable holder, a hard, ring-shaped core mounted on said holder for axial and rotatable `movement relative thereto, and soft, yielding material shirred circumferentially about and bonded to said core, said material being provided with a plurality of axially-spaced circumferentially .extending grooves.

References Cited in the le of this patent, UNITED STATES VPATENTS I 

